Ongoing Submissions: Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores

Payment: 6¢ per word for new fiction, and 2¢ per word for reprints and fact-based work.Reprints Allowed

Writers Guidelines

We accept new work as well as reprints, anywhere from 1000 word flash fiction on up, but as we are just starting, shorter pieces will be favored. We have tough standards but only care about the quality of the writing, characters, plot, and ideas, not whether you’re new or established. Only submit finished work you are proud of. Commensurate with the time available, if we don’t accept your submission we’ll explain why.

We are following the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) guidelines; after one year of meeting their criteria they will retroactively qualify us as a pro site and new work printed during that year will count towards a writer’s SWFA qualifications. We pay 6¢ per word for new fiction, and 2¢ per word for reprints and fact-based work.

Fiction

We are looking for well written original stories in science fiction, fantasy, myth, legend, fairy tales, and eldritch, in written, podcast, video, and/or graphic story form, and from around the world. We’re accept both serious and humorous work. We like science fiction in all its states of matter, from solid to gaseous to plasma, i.e., from hard as steel to as insubstantial as interstellar space. If you use real existing science, please get it right.

Fact

We are looking for fact-based articles, interesting information, reviews, and humor in any discipline that relates to the type of stories we publish or might provide inspiration and information for writers and artists.

Artwork and Other Imagery

We’re looking for storytelling through images. We want to see skillful composition, use of color, rendering of form, character, and emotions. For photo manipulations or photography using models, etc., all stock and resources used must be credited and used according to the stock provider’s rules.

We are not presently commissioning any work. We are looking only for already existing work for use on site pages or for illustrating stories. We pay $10 for the non-exclusive right to use each image, for as long as the site is online. If we publish a print collection we will pay a pro-rata share for each image used.

Just as for written works, we’re not looking for romance, fan art*, hate, horror, blood & guts, excessive violence, sex, nudity, copies of photographs, propaganda, or work that leave readers feeling they’ve had the energy and joy sucked out of them. We do not accept work using materials that required the death or mistreatment of animals.

*If the original work is still in copyright and was not commissioned or sanctioned by the creator or owner we will not accept it. Some fan art is accepted or encouraged by the copyright owners — e.g., cosplay, and these works we welcome.An illustration of a fairy tale, myth, legend, old classic, or any work no longer in copyright would not be counted as fan art.

No simultaneous submissions, and no multiple submissions to the same genre. Please include title, medium, size, and any remarks relevant to the work’s creation.

Submit text in .doc and images as a jpg or through a link. Provide links to all stock used. For video, if possible send links, and have it available in both MP4 and WEBM formats for compatibility across all browsers.

On the submissions page, remember to check that you agree with the terms of our guidelines before you submit.

Interstellar submitters please use standard Earth formats or query in advance for other arrangements. We’d love to be the first to publish your work here on Earth!